Crank mechanism for steam and other engines.



PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

P. N. JONTR GRANK'MEGHANISM FOR STEAM'AND oTEEE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APILQ. 1906. E

' 2 snnsm -snnm 1 Izzraz/or.

THE nomus PE1ERS cc, wAsm/wnuv D4 c,

110-852 360. PATBNTED MAY 7, 1907.- P.. N. J'ONTE.

CRANK MECHANISM FOR STEAM AND OTHER ENGINES.

Arrmonlon'rnnn APLQ. 190s.

1 I mums-sum z.

&

Jaw/52.7fm?

.! \THE zvonms PETERS cm, wAsHma-mu, D. c.

UNITED STATES AENT Eric PETER N. JONTE, oE CINCINNATI, OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

Application filed April 9, 1906. Serial No. 310,845.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, PETER N. JoNTE, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crank Mechanisms for Steam and other Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in crank mechanisms for steam and other engines and more particularly in that class of such mechanisms which are especially designed for avoiding the liability to dead centering of the crank connection with the driving shaft, whereby the starting and operation of the engines under load is greatly facilitated, and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character of a simple and inex'pensive construction and of a compact, strong and durable nature which shall permit of avoiding such dead centering without undue waste or expenditure of power.

The invention consists in part, in a crankmechanism comprising a rotatory part adapted to reciprocate in unison with the piston or equivalent connected part of the engine, means for imparting rotary movement to said part during its reciprocatory movements, a driving shaft and a compensating connection between the driving shaft and said rotatory part and adapted to communicate the rotary movement of said part to the driving shaft while permitting said part to be reciprocated independently of said drivingshaft.

The invention also contemplates certain novel features of the construction and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the improved crank mechanism, whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is rendered simpler, cheaper and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully setforth. I

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate my inventionFigure 1 is a side elevation showing an engine provided with my improved crank mechanism, one end of the engine cylinder being broken out in sec tion to illustrate the piston within the cylinder; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the engine provided with the improved crank mechanism Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the engine provided with the improved crank mechanism; Fig. 4 is a sectional view, drawn to an enlarged scale and taken vertically through the roller guides of the improved crank mechanism and illustrating certain features of construction to be hereinafter described; Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation showing the rollers and their guides illustrated in Fig. 4, and showing certain features of construction to be hereinafter referred to Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken vertically through the upper part of the improved crank mechanism and illustrating certain features of the reversing mechanism employed in connection therewith, and Fig. 7 is a partial plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

As shown in these views, 1 represents a base or bed plate on one end of which is mounted the engine cylinder 2, wherein moves the piston 3 having the piston rod 4 projecting from the end of the cylinder above the bed or base plate 1 and having a terminal head 5 adapted for rectilinear movement between parallel horizontally extended guides 6, 6 suitably supported from the bed or base plate 1 and spaced apart one above the other to produce between them a guide-way to be traversed by the head 5 when the same is moved in unison with the reciprocatory movement of the piston in cylinder 2.

The horizontal spaced guides 6, 6, above referred to form parts of a guide structure erected from the bed or base plate as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and which comprises other upper and lower guides 8, 8, which are, respectively, above the guides 6, 6 and below said guides, the lower guide 8 being herein shown as produced integrally on the upper face of the bed or base plate 1. Said upper and lower guides 8, 8 are spaced away from the first named guides 6, 6, so as to afford horizontal guide-ways 9, 9, intervening between the said guides 6, 6 and the respective upper and lower guides 8, 8, said guide-ways 9, 9 being parallel with the guide-way between the first-named guides 6, 6 and which is traversed by the head 5 on the extremity of the piston rod 4. The guides 6, 6 are provided upon their opposite upper and lower surfaces with plane surfaces 7, 7 ,forming horizontally extended tracks at the upper and lower sides of the respective lower and upper guide-ways 9, 9, and the guides 8, 8 are formed with plane surfaces, as seen in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, which form other tracks parallel with said 7 tracks 7, 7 and at the opposite sides of the tegrally connected, as seen in Fig. 4, with sleeves 12, 12, held for free turning movement upon the opposite ends of a shaft 13 whereon is secured, in a position central between said sleeves 12, 12, and within the up' per guide-way 9, which is adapted to be traversed by it, a roller 30, having a grooved periphery adapted for frictional rolling contact upon either the upper or lower track of said upper guide-way, the diameter of said roller 30 being, however, less than the width of the said upper guide-way so roller can be established with on tracks at a time.

As will be hereinafter explained, the movement of the piston rod head 5, back and forth along the guide-way between guides 6, 6, is imparted to the shaft 13 so as to cause the same to reciprocate along the upper guide-way 9 in unison with the movement of the piston, and in connection with the devices above described I provide means for pressing the periphery of the roller 30 on said shaft 13 alternately upon the track surfaces at top and bottom of said upper guide-way 9 in the respective reverse movements of said shaft 13, whereby in the reci rocatory movement thereof said shaft wil have substantially continuous rotatory movement imparted to it by frictional contact of said roller 30 upon the respective track surfaces at top and bottom of the upper guide-way 9.

14 is a crank carried on one end of the shaft 13 and provided with a wrist-pin 15 having an antifriction roller as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, which roller is engaged in a slotted opening 16 produced in a crank, 17 carried by the main driving shaft 18, which as shown clearly on the drawings has a bearing at 19 in a supporterected as shown at 20 upon the base or bed plate 1 and is extended ina direction at right angles to the direction of movement of the piston rod 4. By this y one of said arrangement it is obvious that the continuous rotatory movement imparted to the shaft 13 during its reciprocatory movement along the upper guide-way 9 is impartedthrough thecrank connection to the main driving shaft 18 which is thereby continuously rotated, the slotted connection be tween the two cranks permitting due compensation for the reciprocatory movement of shaft 13 relatively to said main driving shaft.

that contact of the In this way dead centering is efiectively avoided, since the interposition of the shaft 13 with its crank connection with the main driving shaft and the sleeves 12 with pendent crank arms connecting said shaft 13 with the piston rod head effectively obviates any such disadvantage and permits the axis of rotation of the main driving shaft tobe thrown out of alinement with the said piston rod head.

and 26' represent pendent spaced arms I or links arranged in pairs at' opposite sides of the structure wherein theguide-ways 9, 9 are produced and outside of the crank arms 11,11 connecting piston rod head 5 with the shaft 13, and the upper ends of said arms or links 25 and 26 are provided with openings of greater diameter than the sleeves 12, 12 as shown at 27, 27 on the drawings, said sleeves 12 being passed throughsaid enlarged openings as seen in Figs. 4 and 5, whereby said pendent arms or links are supported upon the opposite ends of the upper shaft 13. The lower ends of said arms or links 25 and 26 have perforated bosses through which are passed the opposite outer ends of a lower shaft 28, which is extended through the guide-way 9 at the lower part of the device and carries a wheel or roller 31 similar to the upper wheel or roller and likewise provided with a grooved periphery adapted, in

the opposite reciprocatory movements of the lower shaft 28, to be pressed in frictional contact alternately with the upper and lower track surfaces of said lower guide-way 9 so that substantially continuous rotatory movement will also be imparted to the same.

29, 29 are loose collars held upon the ends of the lower shaft 28 between the bosses of the arms or links 25 and 26 of each pair for spacing the same apart and 32, 32 are similar collars interposed between the inner arms or links 25 and the wheel or roller 31 for holding said inner links or arms in position.

The upper ends of the arms or links 25 and 26 are extended upwardly above the ends of the upper shaft 13, as shown at 35 on the drawings, and the inner or adjacent faces of such extensions 35 for each pair of links or arms 25 and 26 have transversely extended grooves or clutch members 36, 36 with which are adapted to be engaged clutch projections 38, 38 carried on opposite sides of clutch members 37, 37 of which two are provided of exactly similar construction, one of such clutch members 37 being loosely held upon the sleeve 12 between the arms or links 25 and 26 of each pair and being movable in opposite directions lengthwise along said sleeve 12 so that its opposite clutch projections 38, 38 may be alternately engaged with the clutch members or grooves 36, 36 of the respective arms or links 25 and 26 between which said member 37 is located.

The clutch members 37 at opposite sides of the device have upwardly extended portions I perforated as shown at 39 for sliding engagement upon operating rods 40, 40, extended lengthwise along opposite sides of the structure wherein the guide-ways are produced I and in parallelism with said guide-ways so as to permit of operating said members 37 for movement thereof lengthwise upon the sleeves 12 at any point inthe extent of travel of the shaft 13 along its guide-way 9. The

opposite ends of the operating rods 40 are guided for movement toward and from each other by engagement in the slotted end portions of arms or brackets 41, 41 extended from opposite sides of the guide structure,

and outside of said guide brackets 41, the extremities of said operating rods have internally screw-threaded parts 42, wherewith are engaged the oppositely screw-threaded ends l 43 of rock-shafts 44, held'in bearings as seen at 45 at the upper part of the guide structure and extended transversely and horizontally beyond opposite sides of same in such position that when said shafts 44 are rockedin unison in one direction their screw connection with the operating rods will serve to draw said rods toward each other and when the shafts are reversely rocked, such screw connection will serve to move said operating rods outwardly and away from each other. 46 is an elbow or bell-crank lever carried by one of said rock-shafts 44 and having an upwardly directed arm 47 and 47 is an up wardly directed arm on the other rock-shaft 44, while 48 is a link connecting said arms 47 and 47 a at the respective rock-shafts 44, 44, so that said shafts are caused to rock in unison so that the opposite ends of the operating rods 40 will be uniformly and similarly moved toward or away from each other when the rock shafts are operated. The elbow or bell crank lever 46 is also provided with a downwardly and outwardly directed arm 49 with which is connected the upper end of a link 50 extended downwardly at one end of the guide structure and having its lower end connected with the short arm 51 of an operating lever pivoted at 53 upon the guide structure and having another longer arm 52 extended upward at the end of the guide structure and forming a handle adapted to be grasped by the operator for rocking said lever and communicating the movement thereof through link 50 to the rock shafts 44, 44 in such a way as to cause the operating rods 40 40 to be drawn toward or pressed apart from each other, whereby the clutch members 37 37 are moved along the sleeves 12 to engage their clutch projections 38 38 with the clutch grooves or members 36 36 of the respective inner or outer arms or links 25 30 30 represent spring or other elastic buffers arranged upon the guide structure l at opposite ends of the upper guide-way 9 l thereof and having curved surfaces adapted for engagement with the perimeter of the upper roller or wheel 30 on the upper crank shaft 13 as the said wheel or roller approaches the ends of the guide-way when reciprocatory movement is imparted to it as above described.v By this construction, the inertia of the moving parts is overcome and unnecessary strain thereon is prevented. A similar arrangement of elastic or spring-pressed buffers 31, 31 is provided at opposite ends of the lower guide-way 9 in the guide structure for engagement upon the perimeter of the lower wheel or roller 31 as the latter approaches the limits of its reciprocatory movements. These buffers also lessen the liability of damage to the heads of. the cylinder 2 of the engine which might otherwise be considerable owing to the loose connection between said piston and the crank of the main driving shaft 18.

21 represents a valve gear adaptedfor operation from the movement of the, main driving shaft and controlling the admission and exhaust o. the engine cylinder.

In the operation of my improvements, as the piston-rod moves in onedirection, as toward the right as the parts are shown in Fig. 1, a wedging action is connection of the head 5 thereof with the crank arms 11 of s eeves 12, so that the roller or wheel 30, carried upon the upper shaft 13 is raised to bring its grooved per imeter into close frictional contact with the upper track surface 8 of the upper guide-way 9 wherein said wheel or roller is arranged to move, (as best seen in Fig. 4) and the ensuing rotation of said wheel or roller in one exerted by the direction will be communicated to said upper shaft 13 and through the crank connection to the main driving shaft 18. The clutch members 37 37 being keyed upon the respective sleeves .12, will partake of the rocking motion imparted to said sleeves from the connection of their crank arms 11 with the piston-rod head 5, and by the engagement of the clutch projections of said members 37 in the grooves 36 of the outer arms or links 26, as shown in Fig. 4, said outer arms or links will be caused to swing in unison with said crank arms 11 of sleeves 12, whereby the lower wheel or roller 31, the shaft of which is carried by the lower ends of said arms or links 26 will be drawn up ward or depressed in the guide-way 9 into frictional rolling contact with the lower track surface 8 of said guide-way. In this way the two wheels or rollers 30 and 31 are pressed,during movement of the piston-rod toward the right, against the track and ensue, particularly during operation under load, in case the lower wheel or roller-were omitted, is altogether obviated and a uniform movement is imparted to the main driving shaft 18. Upon reaching the end of its stroke, the upper wheel or roller will contact with the elastic buffer 30 the lower wheel or roller similarly contacting with the corresponding buffer 31 whereby the inertia of the moving parts is overcome, and upon the reversal of the direction of movement of the piston the head 5 of the rod thereof will act to reversely swing the sleeves 12 upon the ends of the upper shaft 13, and through the connection of clutch members 37 37 with the outer arms or links 26, the latter will be also reversely moved,

whereby the respective upper and lower wheels or rollers 30 and 31 will be moved apart and in downward and upward directions, respectievly, so that their grooved perimeters will be caused to bear frictionally upon the track surfaces 7 7, of the central guide-ways 6, traversed by said wheels or movement imparted by members 37 37 rollers. In this way, as the direction of reciprocatory movement of the wheels or rollers 30 and 31 is reversed, the points at which the same are engaged for frictional rolling contact upon their tracks is shifted diametrically opposite whereby the rolling motion imparted to said Wheels or rollers from such frictional contact upon their tracks is maintained in the same direction, so that the the upper shaft 13 through its crank connection to the main driving shaft 18 is substantially continuous and uniform in a single direction despite the reversal of movement of the parts due to the reciprocation of the piston-rod. The inward pressure of the respective rollers is such as to cause them upon such return stroke, (to the left) to bear with sufficient pressure upon the track surfaces 7, 7 of their respective guide-ways to insure continuous rotatory movement of the upper wheel or rollerand of its shaft 13.

lVhen it is desired to stop the driving shaft 18, it is only needful to so manipulate the handleor operating lever 52 that rocking movement will be imparted therefrom through the connections above described to the rock-shafts 44, 44, whereupon by reason of the screw connections of s'aic shafts with the ends of the operating rods 40, 40, will serve to draw said rods in ward or toward each other from the position shown in Figs. 2 and. 4, whereby the clutch being similarly moved toward. each other have their clutch projections 38 withdrawn from the clutch grooves 36 of the outer links or arms 26 26, the movement thus imparted being of course insufficient to engage the opposite clutch projections 38 of the respective members 37 37 with the clutch grooves 36 of the inner arms contact of the perimeter of the upper wheel or roller 30 upon the track surfaces of the upper guide-way 9'will be insufiicient to insure rotation of said roller under the load imposed thereon by its connected operative parts. By further movement of the operating handle or lever 52, the operating rods 40, 40, will be still further moved toward each other, whereby, the clutch members 37 37 moving in unison therewith will have their inner clutch projections 38 38 engaged in the clutch grooves 36 36 of the extensions 35 of the inner arms or links 25 25, where upon the direction of rotation of the wheels or rollers 30 and 31 will be reversed, the connections between the upper and lower shafts 13 and 28 thereupon serving, in the movement of the piston-rod toward the right as shown herein, to cause the wheels or rollers 30 and 31 to be pressed into frictional rolling contact with the opposite upper and lower track surfaces 8 8 of their respective guideways 9, 9 while when said piston rod is moved toward. the left as the parts are shown in the drawings, the wheels or rollers 30 and 31 will be drawn toward each other so that their grooved perimeters are pressed into frictional rolling contact upon the lower and upper track surfaces 7, 7 of the respective upper and lower guide-ways 9, 9.

From the above description of my improvements, it will be evident that the improved crank mechanism is of an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive nature and is especially well adapted for use by reason of the fact that dead centering is eflectively prevented without unnecessary complication of the construction and also by reason of the convenience with which reversal of movement of the main driving shaft may be accomplished without the-employment of specially designed reversing mechanism, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is capable of considerable modification without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention and for this reason I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise form and arrangement of the several parts of the device as herein set forth in carrying out my invention in practice.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is' 1. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way,

IOC

reciprocatory movement to said part along said guide-way, a driving shaft mounted to turn and a connection for transmitting rotary movement from said rotative part to said driving shaft.

2. A mechanismof the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-way, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said part along said guide-way, a shaft mounted to turn and a connection for transmitting rotary movement from said rotative part to said shaft and comprising means for compensating for the reciprocatory movement of said part relatively to said shaft.

3. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way, a part adapted for rolling contact along-said guide-way, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said part along said guide-way, a driving shaft mounted to turn and a crank connection for transmitting the rotary movement of said rotative part to said driving shaft and comprising means for compensating for the reciprocatory movement of said part relatively to said shaft.

4. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-way, a crank connected to turn with said part, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said rotative part along the guide-way, a driving shaft provided with a crank and a compensating connection be tween the cranks of the rolling part and the driving sh aft for transmitting movement between the same. I

5. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guideway, a part adapted for rolling contact along the guide-way, means to impart reciprocatory movement to the rolling part along said guide-way, a driving shaft mounted to turn and cranks connected, respectively with said rolling part and with the driving shaft, one

crank having a slot and the other crank having a' pin engaged therewith for communicating rotary movement from the rolling part to the driving shaft while affording compensation for the reciprocatory movement of said rolling part with relation to the driving shaft.

6. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way the opposite sides whereof have parallel track surfaces, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-way and movable transversely in the same for engagement of opposite sides of its perimeter with the respective track surfaces, means to imp art reciprocatory movement to said part, means for moving said part transversely of the guide-way to press its opposite sides upon the opposite track surfaces, a driving shaft mounted to l I l press opposite sides of its periphery driving shaft mounted to turn and a turn and a connection for transmitting r0- tary movement from the rolling part to said driving shaft.

7. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way the opposite sides whereof have parallel track surfaces, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-way and movable transversely in the samefor engagement of opposite sides of its perimeter with the respective track surfaces, a crank arm connected with said part, means connected with the crank arm for imparting reciprocatory movement to the rolling part along said guide-way, a driving shaft mounted to turn and a connection for transmitting rotary movement from the rolling part to said driving shaft.

8. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way the opposite sides whereof have parallel track surfaces, a along said guide-way and movable transversely in the same for engagement of opposite sides of its perimeter with the respective track surfaces, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said rolling part, reversible means for moving said rolling part transversely of the guide-way to alternately upon the opposite track surfaces of the guideway, a

connection for transmitting rotary movement from the rolling part to said driving shaft.

9. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guide-way the opposite sides whereof have parallel track surfaces, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-way and movable transversely in the same for engagement of opposite sides of i ts perimeter with the respective track surfaces, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said rolling part, reversible means for moving said rolling part transversely of the guide-Way, controlling mechanism for controlling the. operation of said reversible means, a driving shaft mounted to turn and a connection for transmitting rotary movement from the rolling part to said driving shaft.

10. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having a guideway the opposite sides whereof have parallel track surfaces, a part adapted for rolling contact along said guide-Way and movable transversely in the same for engagement of opposite sides of its perimeter with the respective track surfaces, a shaft on which said rolling part is held, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said shaft along said guideway, mechanism adapted for moving said rolling part transversely of the guide-way and comprising reversely movable devices at opposite ends of said shaft, a driving shaft having a compensating crank connection with said first-named shaft and mechanism part adapted for rolling contact,

ways each provided with oppositely arranged along the respective sitely arranged track surfaces, rollers movfor controlling the movement of said rolling I part and comprising operating rods extended along opposite sides of the structure for engagement with said reversely movable devices and movable in unison for controlling the movement of said devices.

11. Amechanism of the character described comprising a structure having parallel guidetrack surfaces, rollers movable lengthwise guide-ways and also movable transversely thereof for engagement of opposite sides of said rollers with the track surfaces of the guide-ways, shafts whereon the rollers are held, a driving shaft mounted to turn, a compensating crank connection between the driving shaft and one of said firstnamed shafts, means for imparting reciprocatory movement to said first-named shafts and mechanism for moving said first-named shafts toward and from each other to press the rollers carried thereon upon the outer and inner track surfaces of the respective guideways.

12. A mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having par allel guide-Ways each provided with oppositely arranged track surfaces, rollers movable lengthwise along the guide-ways and. also movable transversely thereof for engagement of their opposite sides with the track surfaces of the guide-ways shafts whereon the rollers are held, a driving shaft mounted to turn, a compensating connection between the driving sh ft and one of the rollercarry' ing shafts, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said first-named shafts and mechanism, actuated from said. reciproca tory means and arranged to move said rollercarrying shafts toward and from each other to press the rollers thereon upon the outer and inner track surfaces of the respective guideways.

13. A. mechanism of the character described comprising a structure having parallel guide-ways each provided with 0ppoable lengthwise along the guide-ways and also movable transversely thereof for engagement of their opposite sides with the track surfaces of the guide-ways, said rollers are held, a driving shaft mounted to turn, a compensating connection between shafts whereon the driving shaft and one of the rollercarrying shafts, means to impart reciprocatory movement to said roller-carrying shafts and mechanism actuated from said reciprocatory means and arranged to move said roller carrying shafts toward and from each other to press the rollers thereon upon thev outer and inner track surfaces of the respective guideways and comprising sleeves on theends of one roller-carryingshaft and having crank connection with said reciprocatory means, links engaged with said sleeves and carrying the ends of the other roller-carrying shaft and clutch mechanism for locking said links to rock in unison with said sleeves.

14. A mechanism of the character described comprising a'structure having parallel guide-ways each provided with oppositely arranged track surfaces, rollers movable lengthwise along .the respective guideways and also movable transversely thereof for engagement of their opposite sides with the track surfaces of the guideways, shafts whereon said rollers are held, a driving shaft mounted to turn, a compensating driving connection between the driving shaft and one of the roller-carrying shafts, means to" impart reciprocatory movement to said roller carrying shafts, and reversely operative mechanism actuated from said reciprocatory means and arranged to reversely move said roller-carrying shafts toward and from each other to press the rollers thereon upon the outer and inner track surfaces of the respective guide-ways and comprising sleeves on the ends of one roller-carrying shaft and having crank connection with said reciprocatory means, links in pairs with their upper ends held by said sleeves and their lower ends arranged to support the other roller-carrying shaft, the links of each pair having adjacent clutch surfaces, clutch members held torock with but movable endwise upon the sleeves in and out of engagement with the clutch surfaces of the links and means moving the clutch members.

Signed at Cincinnati, April 1906.

for reversely PETER N. JONTE.

Witnesses:

JoHN ELIAS JoNEs, WILLIAM SonUonARnT.

Ohio, this 5th day of 

